This province was chosen by the number of sightings reported in 2008. Most of the reports issued from the Mendoza, Malargue, San Rafael and Tupungato.

Throughout 2008 and up to mid-March ’09, Fundacion Argentina de Ovnilogia (FAO) was made aware of, or received and analyzed, 13 UFO reports from various parts of Mendoza.

Between mid-January and late December 2008, FAO recorded 11 events of that nature plus two more in the first quarter of 2009.

Faced with this “preponderance” of reports, as described by Luis Burgos, leader of the organization, it was decided that the Primeras Jornadas Mendocinas de Ovnilogía (First Mendozan UFO Conference) should be held in Mendoza in October or November with a series of activities linked to the subject, to include a skywatch aimed at detecting any mysterious objects, in hopes of stimulating locals to report any sightings.

Several of the cases from Mendoza, aside from eyewitness accounts, were accompanied by photos of the experiences themselves, taken with either digital or cellphone cameras. Some of these images can be seen at www.visionovni.com.ar and www.codigoovni.com.ar.

Regardless, Burgos has told UNO from La Plata that “some of these images were classified as questionable by Jorge Figueiras, our analyst.” This is due to the fact that they could have been mistaken observations caused by sunlight.

The city of Mendoza, Malargue, San Rafael and Tupungato are the places that gave rise to the greatest number of reports, averaging two and three each. But reports also came from Maipu, Potrerillos and Palmira. These cases increased to 685, as recorded by FAO over a 15-month period in the country – a level of activity that can be classified as a “wave” -- and some of these experiences involved “phantom UFOs” plus a disquieting bedroom visitation reported by one woman.

Local eyewitness accounts form part of two reports: La Oleada Ovni 2008 and Los Tiempos Han Venido: Sigue La Oleada Ovni 2009, drafted by Burgos, who stresses that the events ended with the summer [Editors’s Note: meaning the end of our winter in the northern hemisphere].

The majority of the reported sightings – some identified as “questionable” by FAO – occurred in the afternoon and in regions adjacent to the Cordilleran foothills.

The objects allegedly photographed, according to accounts, are disk-shaped, spindle-shaped, classic saucers and lights (at night).

One of the constants is that they flew from east to west. To Burgos, this is among many mysteries, but he does not dismiss the possibility of “an air corridor, something like a virtual road” that is set in motion cyclically. “There were waves in 1968 and 1978,” he notes.

Among the many sightings mentioned by Burgos there is one dated April 3, 2008 in Malargue. It involves the photo taken at 18:50 by Felix Fernandez of the Dirección Provincial de Vialidad with his cellphone. It was taken as the witness and his friends returned from La Punta, says the ufologist.

Suddenly, a strange object began flying over the region for 15 minutes up to the Chacay region. It stood still for a moment and then vanished westward. Fernandez managed to take some photos, which he submitted to FAO. After analysis, the case was described as questionable, says Burgos.

Another published report dates from December 22. “Norberto Luna (a FAO correspondent) tells us of a sighting witnessed by Jose Schiaffino at 20:00 hrs. He saw a strange silvery object heading westward toward the Cordilleran, gaining speed as it did so.”